Hime
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Red Princess. Shadow Princess. Princess of Blades, Princess of Wind, Princess of Light. These five girls share a very important destiny, and a terrible danger. Fortunately, their bodyguard is Uzumaki Naruto...right? Bleach x-over. Vote for the pairing
1. Prologue

**_Well, this is going to be a large scale Naruto fic, OBVIOUSLY. If the description didn't give it away, their will be a Bleach x-over in this, but its not QUITE the kind you're all used to, trust me. This story will remain 85% Naruto, with a mere 15% splattering of bleach here and there. Read and review! Vote on the poll for the pairing too!_**

A grumpy Naruto, blond hair sticking out haphazardly, yawned in the early morning light, before he opened the door to Tsunade's office, and was met with a glare. "You're late."

He glared at her, his bleary eyes betraying his sleepiness, as well as his desire to go back to sleep. "Well, EXCUSE me for being tired at Five O' Clock in the morning!"

She exteneded her hand, and in it was a scroll. "Just read this gaki, and then you might wake up a little."

He looked down at the parchment he had just been given, and sighed as he read it, even though he just felt like keeling over and going back to bed right now. "Fine, but this had better be good, or I'm telling Ero-senin about that new hotspring you've been keeping a secret from him...

Ignored was the massive amount of killer intent that was sent his way.

He read aloud to himself, nonchalantly, voice heavy with sleep, as he scratched the back of his forehead. "In the shadows of evil, five noble princesses will rise from the shadows of fear. They stand up to fight a great evil. But one of the five will disappear at the end of the great journey. I seek them, and protection for them, once they are found?" After reading it, a rough blond eyebrow rose, confused by it, as he looked back to Tsunade.

"Eh? What the hell is this supposed to mean, grandma?"

Tsunade restrained the powerful urge to smack him upside the head right then and there. "Are you really that dense, Naruto?! This is an S-ranked search/escort mission! The client's asking for only the most highly skilled trackers and bodyguards from the Leaf Village!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, realization dawning in his eyes. "Hey, if this is an S-rank mission, then is this what pervy sage was all worked up about last night?"

Tsunade nodded sagely. "Good. It looks like all that training actually sharpened your mind as well."

"Watch it," Naruto hissed venemously, but she could tell he was too tired to carry out any threat whatsoever, judging by the bleary look in his eyes. The yawn that followed didn't really sound all that intimidating either.

Sighing, Tsunade decided to stop beating around the bush."Naruto, I'll just cut to the chase. Not only do these princesses need protecting, but unfortunately, they need to be found as well."

"Wait...we don't even know where they are?"

Now it was Tsunade's turn to be somewhat sheepish.

"That's the problem. We only know what country they reside in. Other than that, we have nothing to go on, not a name, and only the vaugest of descriptions when it came to appearance. If not for the substantial fee the client paid in advance, we wouldn't be taking this mission at all."

"So....what's this got to do with me."

Tsunade silenced him with a baleful glare.

"I'm getting to that. Right now, we can't afford to spare any of our Jonin, Anbu, or other highly skilled shinobi, so... you're going with Jiraiya. In fact, I'd like you to bring at least two other Chunin with you. And just so you know, you have five hours to pack your things."

She said all of this within an instant.

For a moment, nothing happened, then blue eyes widened to the point of extrication. Wordlessly, Naruto dropped the scroll, which unraveled as soon as it hit the ground at his feet. His shout of dismay/surprise could be heard throughout the village:

"NANI?!"

"Just think of it as another training trip." Tsunade suggested.

"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"

**_Next time: Where to start? Where to go? This Mission begins!_**


	2. Crimson

**_Enjoy, read, and review! I worked SO hard on this, and hope you like where this is going, soplease, continue to vote on the poll, as the pairing is not yet fized, and your votes are very much needed! R&R please!_**

**_Where to start? Where to go? This Mission begins!_**

....Nani?"

"Yeah." Naruto repeated, shouldering the travel pack around his back. "Grandma's got me on another mission. And this one's S-rank!"

"S-rank?!" Sakura spluttered increduously, her jaw dropping to the floor. "Naruto, how the hell did you get assigned an S-rank mission?! You're still only a _genin_, in case you've forgotten!"

"Am not." Naruto snickered quietly, prompting a frown from the pinkette.

"What?"

"Heh." Naruto grinned, reaching into the pack, flashing the peace sign as he did so, when a jacket was produced. "Oba-chan's giving me the rank of _chunin_ so I can take this mission!" Now, the blond donned the flack jacket over his signature black and orange jumpsuit, and jerked a thumb towards it.

"Pretty cool, huh, Sakura-chan?"

"Not really." Sakura's bland reply was nearly simple enough to make her teammate facefault.

"W-What the hell! Why'd ya bring me down like that?!"

"Naruto," Sakura's exasperated sigh cut into his rant like a hot knife through butter. "Have you even thought about who you're going to bring with you and Jiraiya-sama on this mission? _Or_ what you're going to be up against?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto, having paid absolutely no attention the last part of her sentence, clapped one hand into a fist. "Oba-chan said that we needed trackers and bodyguards!"

...And do you have any idea where to look?" Sakura prompted. "Most of everyone's on a mission right now, and before you ask, yes, that includes Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto, grin and all, remained still for a moment, before drooping his head sullenly.

"Darnit....hey wait! What about bushy brow? He'd be perfect for a mission like this!"

"On a mission." Sakura finished, her brow twitching slightly at Naruto's nickname for Rock Lee.

"Shikamaru?"

"Mission."

"Then could you-

"Nope." Sakura shook her head. "Ordinarily, I'd come along to make sure you don't get yourself killed, but Tsunade-sama's taking me and Shizune-san to the hotsprings."

"Damnit!" Naruto whined. "If everyone's busy, then how the hell am I supposed to find someone for my mission?!"

"Sorry." Sakura shrugged, then

"Hey, what's all this about a mission?" A voice called from above. " I could hear you two halfway across the village! Seconds later, a pair of shadows, fell over the blond, who narrowly rolled out of the way in time. Chokin on the dust and dirt, his eyes widened.

"You're-

"Yo." Kiba grinned, exposing his fangs, his voice no longer cracking as it had during his pre-adolescent days. "Long time no see, eh Naruto? I hear you're looking for two chunin? Well it just so happens that Akamaru and I aren't busy at the moment."

His partner, no longer just a puppy, huffed in reply, and Kiba's grin widened.

"And we know just the person to complete our little three man cell...

--

"Ano...Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm?" At some point, Hinata had started walking on Naruto's right side. It unnerved him a little bit, that someone had snuck up on him easily, but after a few moments, he shrugged it off. Kiba had insisted that Hinata come, and Naruto, not really having anyone else to pick, and after Kiba's insistence that her Byakugan would be vital for this mission agreed, and so, here they were. "What's up?"

"Ano...aren't you worried?" She fidgeted under his stare, something she'd been doing ever since she'd laid eyes on him an hour ago. It really was wierd how she kept doing that around him. "This is an S-ranked mission....it could be d-dangerous."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked twice, before adamantly shaking his head. "Why would I be worried? It's just a search and escort mission, it shouldn't even be an S-rank, maybe a B!" Naruto laughed at this, as if he somehow found it funny. "Yeah, It's not like we're gonna run into any trouble anyways! Besides," Now his grin widened even further, bordering on arrogant, with just a hint of excitment brewing underneath. "If we run into a baddies, I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve, and you've got that killer Jyuuken tech of yours! I say let 'em come! We'll give it everything we've got!"

"H-Hai." Hinata blushed, tented her fingers twice, glanced away, then looked back again, a shy, stubborn smile flickering across her lips, and refusing to leave her with the sudden rush of giddiness that filled her chest. "Arigatou, Naruto-kun."

"No problem!"

Kiba chuckled silently at the exchange. He could see the little pink hearts floating _over_ Hinata's head, and knew right away that her crush hadn't lessened any at all during these two years. Naruto however, was thicker than diamond lead, and still didn't see it.

"He's really dense, isn't he, Akamaru?"

Akamaru woofed an affirmative.

Hinata had nearly fainted when they'd approached her about the mission. Well, actually, she _had_ fainted. But she'd nearly fainted a second time, before Kiba told her that they had to get going and that they really didn't have time for her 'illness' as he put it, as he didn't want to give away something that was rather obvious.

But Naruto, of course, had suspected a thing. He just said Hinata should bring a pillow with her, that way if she passed out again, she'd at least have something soft to fall on.

And Kiba had burst out laughing. Even now, he still snickered quietly to himself.

And so, the ragtag little group found Jiraiya waiting for halfway to the gate. Kiba couldn't help himself. For a moment, he froze, and remained where he was, allowing Naruto and Hinata to walk past him. Actually, he did know they were meeting with the great Jiraiya, but he hadn't really expected the sanin to look this imposing.

All that was about to go out the window."

"So, these two are it, eh kid?" To Kiba's amusement, the sannin actually knelt down, took Hinata's hand, and kissed it. Hinata turned a light shade of pink, but it wasn't anywhere near as bright red as it would have been had it been Naruto doing the honors. "It's nice to meet you, young lady. In case you're wondering just who I am, you see, I'm...

"H-Huh? What...was _that?"_ Both Kiba and Hinata reacted with surprise, but Naruto remained deadpanned as ever when the Toad sage actually had the audacity to introduce himself in the same, overly dramatic fashion.

Hinata, speechless, only sweatdropped.

Kiba made a point of coughing into his fist.

"Hey...Naruto, was the great Jiraiya _always_ like this?"

Naruto groaned under his breath.

"C'mon pervy sage, do you have to keep doing that? You're embarassing me!"

"Don't sulk." Jiraiya, clearly amused, took deliberate enjoyment in mussing his protoge's hair. "Tell you what, I'll teach you a few new tricks to make up for this mission, alright? And I won't even slack off this time. Whaddya say?"

"Huh? HUH?! Really?! No getting sidetracked?! No spying on girls at hot springs?!" At the mention of learning new techniques, _and_ the promise of going at it full throttle, those sapphire blue eyes regained their fervor once again. "Aw man, what's it gona be this time?"

The sannin grinned slyly.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll love it. You have my personal guarantee."

"Yatta!" Naruto gave a war woop, leapt into the air, and upon landing, immediately took off towards the gate, leaving Kiba and the others to cough and sputter on his dust. "Well c'mon! What're we waiting for?! Let's get goooooiiiiiing!"

"Alright!" Upon reaching the gates Jiraiya once again struck his signature pose and dramatically jabbed a finger forward towards the road ahead, whilst the three Chunin looked on. "Since we have absolutely no idea where to go first....Off to the land of Wind it is then!"

--

(Several hours later)

"Fucking wonderful."

Jiraiya growled slightly as his team waded through a raging sandstorm. He brought his hand up to his face in an attempt to cover his eyes and mouth, but the shield was futile against the grains of sand that were pelting his flesh. Naruto shot him a distressed look, which only served to further place the Toad Sage on edge He looked over to his right at Hinata and Kiba, noticing that the duo was looking equally as upset about their situation.

"What the hell, pervy sage?" Naruto hollered out over the brutal winds. "You couldn't have gotten us anywhere closer to _Sunagakure? _Like maybe _inside _of it?"

"Something was fuckin' with my _body flicker," _Jiraiya responded, his steel eyes shooting daggers at Naruto through the torrent of desert sand in the air. "This was a good as I could get us."

"We can't even _see_ _the village," _Naruto shouted back. "How the fuck are we supposed to _get_ there?"

I'm pretty sure it's this way," Kiba said, nodding his head forward.

"You're _pretty sure? _I don't want to walk ten miles through a goddamn sandstorm only to find out that I've been going the wrong goddamn way!"

"It's not my fuckin' fault!"

"Damnit!" Naruto snarled in a rare lapse of character. "I thought we had a map?!"

"We did." Kiba glared back at the blond. "But someone forgot to pack it!"

"What're you implying?!"

"Oh, I think you know!"

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

"Enough!" Jiraiya bellowed loudly, silencing the two, and sparing Hinata the pain of watching her two dearest friends come to blows. "Let's just find the village! We can bicker later!"

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that."

The voice came from behind them, and even Jiraiya swore in surprise as they whirled around to face the speaker, a young, green eyed man with pale, ashen skin, and messy black hair, clad in a simple white hakama, with a sword at the belt_._ Around his neck dangled a green clothed, badly scratched headband, its symbol no longer recognizeable in the rust what marred the plate.

But something was very wrong here. And it wasn't just the fact that the sandstorm had died down in their immediate vicinity. It could be seen only a few yards north, stilll raging violently, and all around them. It just....wasn't _here_ at the moment. Something was in the air, something was holding it..._back_.

Hinata suddenly gasped, and went rigid, taking a few fumbling, trembling steps backward, before abruptly sinking to her knees in utter shock, where she remained, staring blankly forward. Apparently, she'd discovered something with her Byakugan, but whatever it was, she was too horrified to speak of it.

"Hinata!" Kiba cried, his eyes widening angrily.

"Those eyes," The man remarked quietly, his eerie gaze now falling upon the young Hyuuga. "You saw _through_ me just now, didn't you? A most curious ability. Tell me, how is such a thing done?"

"Damn you!"

As the man's gaze fell upon Kiba, Akamaru's growl became a whine, and he cowered behind his partner, something that only dismayed the Inuzuka more. This had happened once before, and for good reasoning...

"You two boy?"

_'Something's up.' _Jiraiya scowled. '_I didn't even notice this guy until just now. And he immobilized Hinata and Akamaru just by glancing at them. What the hell is he?'_

"Oi!" Naruto barked angrily, "Who in the hell're you?!"

"Ah yes," The man paused to brush some sand off his coat before returning his dispassionate gaze to the blond, who refused to flinch and cowere, unlike his comrades. "I beg your pardon for not introducing myself prior to meeting the lot of you. My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, and I regret to inform to you...

With one fluid motion, his fingers wrapped around the lime green hilt, and before anyone could stop him, he'd drawn the katana from its sheathe. By the time Naruto registered the movement, Ulquiorra had already pointed its tappered tip towards _him._

_...That you are about to die, Uzumaki Naruto."_

"Shit!" Jiraiya swore, his hands forming the first seal for a fire release, but before he could take another step forward, some unseen blow slammed into his gut, and with it, went the all the air in his stomach. The wind knocked clear out of him, the sannin collapsed to the sand, his eyes wide, his hands clutching his gut, his lungs wheezing for breath.

Unable to move.

_'No way...with one it? Well, I wasn't in sage mode, but STILL...this guy's...freakishly strong. Might even be worse than Tsunade..._

As the white haired sanin cringed at this possibility, Ulquiorra stepped forward, and delivered a swift kick to the sanin's chest, further immoblizing him, and keeping him down for the count.

"I have not been instructed to kill you," Ulquiorra warned, placing his unarmed hand back with in his pocket once more. "But should you interfere again, I will not hesitate to do so."

"Pervy sage!" Naruto watched his mentor fall, screamed in rage and disbelief. "Bastard! Why the hell did you-

"Do not worry about him." Ulquiorra instructed, his sword suddenly swishing through the air. "It is your own safety for which you should now be concerned, Uzumaki Naruto." Its tip now at his throat, Naruto froze, gasping as its tip pricked his jugular. Too fast. This guy was too fast. He hadn't even seen that attack, and now, he couldn't move. Unreal...this was unreal!

"Why....why are you doing this?!"

"Why?" Ulquiorra blinked slowly, and when next he spoke, his voice held an obvious air of disdain. "Because you leaf shinobi are all alike. You are all trash, scum, every last one of you. And that is why-

_"Nake(Sing)!" _A woman's voice cried angrily, cutting off whatever he had been about to say.

Several events occured at once.

Ulquiorra whirled around, his free hand shooting out to swat away a strangely shaped blast of red energy. However, as he did so, _another_ blast slammed into his back, forcing him to stagger to the right, lashing out with his sword to deflect a _third_ blast that roared towards his flank. Now freed, Naruto rolled to the side, and came up, armed with a pair of shuriken in hands, the twin projectiles whizzing through the air as Ulquiorra disipated the third attack.

"Take this!"

Ulquiorra swayed back, the twin throwing stars rushing harmlessly overhead. However, as he did so, a woman in a red kimono, seemed to appear out of nowhere, and brought a sword crashing down into the one he had just now raised to block.

"I see you've chosen to come out of hiding." Ulquiorra remarked. However, before he could finish the rest of his sentence, the woman snarled, dragged her oddly shaped blade across his, and viciously kicked him in the ribs with a sandal clog heel.

There was a loud snapping/cracking sound, and anyone could tell that the woman just broken something with the blow. For the first time during the scuffle, Ulquiorra's face twisted into a pained grimace, but it didn't last long, as the woman rammed the flat edge of her katana into his face.

"Nake!" Truse, Ulquiorra didn't scream, but then again, he didn't need to, as the blast slammed him facefirst into a nearby dune, where he boucned for a few moments, before skidding to a stop. Now, clutching at his face, he rose back up.

"Impressive. Truly, we have underestimated your skills, woman. However, this will not happen again. I will retreat, and report my findings to Aizen-sama. And then, I will kill both you and the boy."

With his uninjured hand, Ulquiorra sheathed his sword and reached out into the air. "Until that day, farwell." As he did so, the sandstorm angrily roared back into existence, effectively blinding Naruto and the woman alike for a handful of seconds. When at last the duststorm had subsided, Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn." The woman muttered, and the blade in her hand dissapeared into a fine red mist, which took up the appearance of makeup under her eyes, strangely reminiscent of red tear marks.

"Hey thanks-

The sound of his voice caused the woman to tilt her head to the side at the blond. The gesture itself proclaimed nobility and elegance, causing Naruto to freeze in midstep.

The woman's cold, aloof gaze narrowed slightly. "Do _not_ thank me." Her voice, though holding a slight edge of irritation, held a soothing effect. "I am not your ally, and neither are you mine."

"Regardless," Naruto, having forgotten everyone in the heat of the battle, now whipped his head around to see a slightly wincing Jiraiya hauling himself to his feet, as well as Kiba and Akamaru weakly doing the same. "That was a very impressive feat, for a delicate thing such as yourself. One could only word how any _ordinary_ woman would be able to fend off someone like that."

She said nothing, but after a moment, the woman sighed.

"It seems I am found out. Very well then, I suppose that there is no point in concealing my secret any longer. I am called by many names. But you may know me as Benihime. The Crimson Princess."

"Aha. I thought so." Jiraiya smiled as she pulled a thick strand of crimson hair away from her golden eyes, allowing the thick red locks to pool down around her once more. "You've changed your appearance, but I know that zanjutsu fighting style of yours anywhere."

Naruto choked on his own spit, his sapphire blue eyes widening in disbelief.

"W-Wait a second! Her?! She's one of the-

"And I," Benihime interrupted coldly, her hand flicking from within the folds of her robe to expose then cool herself with a small paper fan, "Never thought you would take on such a dense lad as your apprentice, Master Jiraiya. Your standards seem to have fallen in the last decade."

The infamous 'pervy sage' scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, you know the old saying. Time's change, people change.' Besides, what's the point in training a prodigy? My students has loads of potential, but then again, I'm sure you've already noticed that. After all, he's Kisuke's kid."

Naruto, having missed this entire conversation due to their hushed tones, now blanched slightly as the woman hissed in surprise, then turned her stunning gaze back upon him once again. But it was different this time.

The woman, for the first time since they met, allowed a small smile to grace her light red lips. The transformation stunned the rest of the chunin. This woman no longer looked untouchable, but real and within reach. The disdain held within her orbs almost disappeared.

"I see. Please, forgive my earlier transgression."

"Erm...okay?"

"Come," She waved them onward, closing the fan with one cool, flick of her wrist, where it briefly outline against the now starry night sky, for the sandstorm was slowly beginning to ebb away. "You must be exhausted from your travels. This storm was my own doing. It will die away soon enough, and then we will be able to enter Sunagakure. And Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked in surprise as she took him by the wrist. Her hand was pale, as if it had not seen enough sunlight, yet at the same time, it was so bonechillingly cold, that he felt his fingertips numb at her touch.

"You will walk with me. We have...much to discuss."

"Whoa-hey!"

Without another word, Benihime continued onward, taking her charge with her, several paces ahead of, and leaving the others to follow after her. Jiraiya shook his head silently, remarked something about her being commandeering, and followed after her.

Kiba exchanged a glance with Hinata, who, at the moment, looked torn between dismay and disbelief. This had all happened so suddenly, and true, it looked as if Benihime-sama was the one doing all the talking, but...

"....C'mon Hinata." Kiba's voice, and hand on her shoulder intruded on her thoughts. "We're gonna fall behind."

...Y-Yes."

And so, Hinata found herself staring after the two as they followed behind, all the way to the gates of Sunagakure.

_'Naruto-kun...At this rate...._

**_Next time: The Missions Continues Onward! To the North_**


	3. Darkening Dawn? A Looming Threat!

**_I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Happy New year to everybody, in case I'm not able to update tomorrow. As before, I kept everyone in character, except for a few original OC moments to fit some scenes, AND explain the whole meaning behind these five princesses._**

**_R&R, please!_**

**_Ja ne!_**

**_Darkening Dawn? A Looming Threat!_**

"So, just who _was _that guy back there?" Naruto asked as he finally shook himself free of Benihime's grip. "You completely kicked his ass out there, but we couldn't even _scratch _him. Are all the other's...I mean, are all of you really _that_ strong?"

"No," The crimson princess shook her head. "The victory was mine, solely due to the element of surprise. Had he not been so preoccupied with his hatred of you, then I would not have suceeded. In fact, though I _am _the strongest of my sisters, I would have great difficulty taking down one of your Kage level shinobi. And Ulquiorra is far beyond the level of a Kage."

"Wait a sec," Naruto began to slow, his tone breaking slightly, a sign of confusion and distress. He'd stopped listening after the second sentence, the rest of her words fading into white static nothingness behind him. "This Ulqui-whatever guy...he _hates_ me?"

Naruto had been through enough hatred growing up, and quite frankly, now he couldn't understand why a complete stranger wanted to stab him through the throat. "How can he hate me when we've never even met? Is that even _possible?"_

"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto." Piercing hazel gold orbs burned into his sapphire blue, branding him with their truth. "Ulquiorra Schiffer loathes you, with every aspect of his being. From the age of five, he has sworn to kill you with his own two hands."

_'F-Five?! There's gotta be something wrong with this guy!'_

"Did I do something to piss him off?"

"Yes. You were _born." _Benihime replied venemously, with an expression that said she would speak no more on the subject, and that Naruto should just drop it and move on to a new topic.

"Well, in that case, I'll just kick his ass when I see him again! He won't get me by surprise next ti-

What happened next, was so unexpected, that Naruto simply didn't have the _time_to prepare for it. His eyes widened in surprise, and his hand flew to a whiskered cheek, which now bore a throbbing red hand-print.

"OW! What the-

A fierce killer intent silenced him.

"Truly you are a fool, Uzumaki Naruto!" Tears, _red tears, _glistened in the proud hazel eyes of Benihime, but she refused to let them fall. "Ulquiorra will _destroy_ _you_, he will crush you, should you ever confront him with an attitude such as that! You will killed with in an instant, _you ignorant child!"_

"But I have to do something!" The adamant, insistent tone of his gave Benihime sudden pause from her rebuke. "I can't let him do that again!"

"Do what?" The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. "What in kami's name are you blabbering about now, Uzumaki Naruto?"

"I can't let him hurt my friends again." The blond jinchuuriki replied quietly, all trace of exasperation gone from his voice. "I'm tired of everyone getting hurt because of me. That's why I gotta stop him from doing it again."

Dark lashes fluttered open, the long tresses of Benihime's hair bobbing as she blinked and turned her attention towards Hinata and Kiba, who were keeping within a safe walking distance, just enough to be out of earshot.

"You would give your life for them?"

"In a heartbeat." Naruto nodded firmly. "And I _never _go back on my word." For the first time in a long time, Naruto's voice held all the maturity of a grown man. He was serious, she could _feel_ the resolve glinting in those matchless sapphire orbs.

"That's my nindo. _My_ ninja way."

Benihime glanced back to Naruto, and for the second time that night, saw her Teacher. She wanted to tell the boy how much he was like Kisuke, right down to these simple, yet honest personality quirks he had just displayed. Of course, he had Kushina's temperament, but through and through, he resembled his father, minus his brown eyes, sandy blond hair, and brilliant scientific mind, Naruto still possessed the same thirst for knowledge as his predecessor.

"Remove your sleeves." Benihime instructed quietly. "Now." But before Naruto could protest that he _wasn't_ going to ruin his jumpsuit, she'd already done so, the orange and black fabric coming free at the shoulders, and exposing his arms to the elements.

"Oi! What're you....doing?" Naruto hissed through chattering teeth, only to, feel the words and anger, die away in his throat, replaced by blank confusion, as the crimson goddess reached up to the long decorative bow that held a part of her hair over her right eye. With a small sigh, and a swift tug of her dainty fingers, the knot came free, and said ribbon fluttered into her free hand, only to be ripped in two, falling with her hair to the sand beneath their feet.

"What's...this?" Naruto mumbled, as she bent down to retrieve the ribbon.

"Remain still."

"Okay...nani?"

As she wrapped the ribbon around the length of his right, then left arm, Naruto felt two things. One, a vague sensation of warm that coursed through his skin, and the other, a weak feeling of killer intent, directed towards Benihime. The latter vanished quickly, followed by the former.

When she was finally finished, he found that the seperate cloth had covered the entirety of both arms, but left the fingers of hand untouched, for, as he gave it a closer look, he could make out the faintest inscriptions, barely legible in the light of the moon.

"Keep it." Benihime finished sternly, before Naruto could dare to speak up again. "This emblem, my _Chikasumi no Tate (Blood Mist Shield)_signifies that you are both my vassal and protector. As long as you wear that ribbon, you will never lose the strength in your arms and nothing will be able to harm them, so long as you remain conscious."

The chunin flexed his arms to see if he still had free range of movment.

He did. In fact, his arms felt a if they didn't have those chakra weights on, which in fact, they did, but those were still wrapped around his shoulders, where the red ribbon both ended and began.

"Wow." He grinned sheepishly, at a loss for words. "These are...kinda nice."

"You will receive similair tokens from my sisters." Benihime explained, earning her a blank look from the chunin. "But I would ask that you take _especially_ good care of mine."

Naruto, rensing that some form of thanks was needed, managed a stiff bow. Yes, it felt completely and totally out of place, and he didn't like doing it, but he knew from experience that you did NOT just run up and hug royalty. You'd be skewered with kunai before you knew it.

And so, this one time, he followed the proper courtesy.

"Arigatou, Benihime-san."

"Please," She waved him off. "Just Hime-sama will do."

--

Jiraiya watched all this occur with a small smile, right up to Naruto's bow. He'd seen the slap coming a mile away. But he'd never once thought that Naruto would actually convince the infamous manslayer to give him _those_. Now, he shook his head as the blond straightened up, scratched his head sheepishly at something the princess said, then the two seemed to be content to wait for their companions to catch up.

_'Well I'll be damned, I didn't think she'd given him that right off the bat. It took Kisuke thirty years to get her to open up like this, and Naruto does it in less than a day? Kid's really got a way with the ladies.'_

"Well, that's one down, four to go."

"Huh?" Kiba's confusion was apparent as he looked from Benihime, to Jiraiya, and then back again. "I thought there were only five?" Realizing he'd accidentally spoken his entire train of thought aloud, Jiraiya contented himself with an obviously secretive smile.

"Oh, there are."

Without another word, the sannin whistled to himself and began to outdistance them. Now, the mighty gates of Sunagakure filled their vision, and after a moment, Jiraiya performed an abrupt about face to adress the group.

"Now remember kiddies, we're escorting a princess, so be on your best behavior. That includes you, Naruto. I don't want you breaking anything like last time. Understand? Good, now that I'm done being responsible, let's just knock on the door and-

"Halt!" A woman's voice called over the gate. "Who goes there!"

"Um...its Naruto?"

"Idiot!" Kiba hissed, shaking his friend violently whilst Jiraiya sighed in exasperation, their plan ruined already. "You can't just say, 'It's Naruto' and expect them to let you in-

"Naruto?" The voice of the sentry called back. "As in...Naruto Uzumaki?"

Everyone exchanged a glance, ending with Kiba giving Naruto a sharp shove forward, followed by a nod.

"Well, go on! They're obviously asking for you!"

"Erm...yeah, its Naruto?" The newly promoted Chunin ventured hesitantly, and no sooner had he said this, then a dark shadow fell over the group, prompting everyone to look up, as a young woman swooped in atop a giant fan.

As she neared the ground, she swept herself off it, and landed within a foot of Naruto.

"Hey kiddo. Long time no see, huh?"

"Eh?" He blinked in surprise, before his eyes widened to the point of extracation. "Temari?!"

The suna kunoichi flashed a wide grind.

"In the flesh, though I can't exactly say the same for you. You've gotten bigger since we last trained together, haven't you?"

"Haha! You must've shrunk then! I'm taller than you now!"

"So! You're voice is still cracking!"

"And your's isn't?!"

"I'm a woman, dumbass! Our voices don't crack!"

"Heh, so that's why you still sound like a guy!"

Hinata anxiously chewed on her lip throughout the whole exchange. She really didn't have anything against Temari-san. She barely even knew the Suna kunoichi, other than that she was the official Jonin ambassador to Konoha. But now, as she watched the well endowed blond chatting, with Naruto-kun, _teasing_ her Naruto-kun, as if they were old friends, she could not help but feel the tiniest twinge of jealousy in her heart.

For the last month leading up to his three year training trip, Naruto-kun had been taken to the village hidden in the Sand, at Tsunade-sama's behest. He'd returned the day before he was to leave with Jiraiya-sama, and had spoken vividly of Temari-san then, just as he was chatting with her now.

In fact, Hinata was _so_ focused on the scene before herself, that she missed Jiraiya ambling past her, and towards....

"Besides-

"ORA! What the hell do you know, old man?!" A large hunk of rock suddenly slammed into the ground behind her, Hinata, causing her to spin around in surprise and confusion. Another missile whizzed overhead seconds later, prompting everyone in the nearby vicinity, Hinata and Kiba included, to dive for cover. Naruto, enraged, but still very much alive, stalked out into the streets.

"OI! Just who the hell do you think _you_ are?! You could've killed us just now!"

"So what, and Shaddap!" A voice retorted, and a young girl with blond pigtails, chestnut brown eyes and a very pissed off expression ran into view. "Ya dickless baldy! This old coot here tried to cop a feel! He's lucky I didn't break his friggin' face!"

"Pervy sage!" Naruto cried in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Excuse me." Scoffed Jiraiya, currently laying on his back, winced, and forced himself back into a sitting position. "I only," His right eye was swollen shut, and his entire left sleeve had been ripped away, leaving his arm pockmarked with sharp stones, and horribly slashed. "I only tapped her on the shoulder and asked for directions...

"Ya _still_ touched me!" The youth protested, reaching down to grab the sanin by his collar. "Do I look like I have a 'kick me' sign on my back or something? No? Didn't think so!"

"Now now," A nervous Kiba interjected. "How about we all just-

"How about I kick you around instead!"

WHAM!

Even Hinata winced as Kiba went down, crumpling into a heap at the girl's feet. One swift kick between the legs was all it had taken, to subdue the Inuzuka, and now, Akamaru whined in sympathy as the girl continued to kick Kiba in the ribs.

"Your temper will be your undoing."

"What?" The girl whipped around, and her eyes went wide.

Benihime, standing atop the boulder the girl just thrown, brushed a bit of dirt off her kimono before gracefully floating four feet to the street. A few of the sand shinobi, having coming to see what all the fuss was about, swooned at the sight of her, and others passed out from blood loss.

"It is just as I said. Your temper is, and always will be, your greatest weakness. You're liable to explode at the slightest provocation, and you're enemies will surely make use of that to do you in."

"Urusei! I'm not....talking to you." She grumbled, her threat weakening under Benihime's harsh glare, a crowd continuing to form, drawn by the ruckus. Benihime kept up the invisible assault for a few moments longer, before the hot-headed girl was finally forced to avert her gaze.

"Q-Quit it already! I'm not scared of you, y-you old bag!"

"Oh? How cute." Benihime sneered, taking another step forward, to which the girl shrank back. "You're trembling. Yes, I shouldn't say that you're scared of me. Child, you're downright terrified, aren't you? Now, won't you be a dear and say you're sorry?"

"Hiyori." Everyone turned to see Temari tapping her foot impatiently, glare fixed on her fellow blond. "She's right. You were just about to apologize to everyone here, weren't you?"

"Nrgh....damnit," The seething genin drooped her head low, though both hands balled into angry little fists, clearly indicating that she was still far from relaxed. "Sumimasen, Temari-sensei."

"And?"

"Asumimasen, everybody."

Temari smiled ruefully.

"Well, now that _that's_ over, what say we get you guys inside? I'm freezing my ass off out here."

--

_(Meanwhile)_

The dimly light room was filled with light, as the door opened.

"Lord Aizen, reporting in."

"Ulquiorra," The man looked up from his desk, even though one would say it was impossible to read a book in the dark. With all the elegance of someone used to failure, he calmly swept back a strand of his brown hair with a sharp movement of his right hand. "How many times do I have to tell you, just adressing me by my name will do?"

"My apologies, Aizen-sama."

The man, known only as Aizen, sighed again, but this time, his cold brown eyes found the junniper green of his subbordinate.

"I see you weren't able to complete your mission. That's rather...unfortunate."

"Sir!" Ulquiorra protested suddenly, in a rare lapse of character, slapping his hands down upon the desk and leaning forward. "Please, give me another chance! I'll succeed for certain this time!"

"Very well." Aizen leaned back in his chair. "And I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt. Three."

"Sir?"

"I will give you three chances to eliminate Uzumaki Naruto, or kill those five maiden's he's guarding. Take your time, plan everything out, or use attack quickly, it's of no concern to me. However, once those three chances are exhausted, and if he still lives, if they still live...you're mission will be...

He silently drummed his fingers up and down upon the desk, building the suspense for what he would say next.

_"Terminated."_

Ulquiorra froze, the only sign of his distress being the slight tensing of his eyes. He made no move to say he deserved a thousand chances, nor that Uzumaki Naruto was his and his alone to kill, instead, he just soaked it all in, the subtle threat delivered to him by his liege.

If he failed....he would die.

"..."

"Do we understand each other, Ulquiorra?" Aizen's smile was fake, pleasant, much like the facade he often kept up when around his 'allies' if they could be called such. He was a foul, wicked creature, hidden within the flesh of a human, and with a man's face.

Failure, was not an option.

And so, Ulquiorra nodded.

"Yes...sir."

**_Next time: The Maiden of Shadow! Darkness Encompassing all!_**


	4. Secret Revealed, and Maiden of Shadow

**_Alright, this might be a bit ruff, seeing as my computer's being glitchy., Some more explanation will be given here, we'll see a few more familair faces, a bit of fluff here and there, and hey maybe Naruto will actually learn a thing or two? Who knows? Regardless, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter. Even if it is a little bugged._**

**_R&R!_**

**_The Maiden of Shadow! Darkness Encompassing all!_**

As they were led through the gates, or in Kiba's case, _limped_, as he still had to be supported by a slightly embarassed Akamaru, Naruto and company could not help but notice the startling presence of shinobi activity in what should have been a deserted street at this hour. Everywhere they went, some random jonin or chunin would glance up from what they were doing, stare for a moment, then return their attention to the task at hand.

Curiosity towards newcomers was nothing strange here in Sunagakure. In this time of growing crisis, it was only natural for the shinobi of one village to take heed of visitors from another. However, what made this strange, was the fact that all the attention was focused solely on _Naruto_.

Even now, a few sleepy children, hastily being ushered to bed by their parents, would stop to wave, and in some cases, even go so far as to _bow _towards the blond jinchuuriki. Naruto managed to grin sheepeshily and wave back, before being shooed onward by an exasperated Jiraiya.

If stealth and inconspicuoity had been their goal here, then they'd already failed miserably. Gaara wouldn't say a word, but could they really expect the entire village to be that tight-lipped? No, with half the shinobi population still occupied with rebuilding the village, word was bound to leak out sooner, rather than later. Just a slip of the tongue, a contractor overhearing a discussion he wasn't meant to be privy to...

The possibilities of screwing up were endless, Jiraiya knew this. But then again, that was why he'd brought Naruto on this mission. If he could somehow endure all the hardship and death that was headed his way, then he'd emerge stronger from it. If he could survive. Missions like this one, all or nothing gambles, had broken many a good shinobi, and sent countless more to their graves.

And there was still the matter of _them_. When he'd been swindled into this mission by Tsunade, he'd had little to no intel on what they would be going up against. Shinigamigakure no Sato, otherwise known as the village hidden in death. Very little was known about them, they'd disbanded centuries ago, scattering like ashes on the wind. Apparently, they were still around, if that Ulquiorra fellow was anything to go by.

Yes, the village with the ultimate bloodline, the ability to defy death itself, still existed. And if _those_shinobi had their eyes set on Naruto, then all the more reason to wrap this mission up swiftly and quietly.

Despite himself, the sage snorted. Quietly? As if. Naruto and Kiba specialized in taijutsu for crying out loud! They were probably the loudest Chunin in all of Konoha, and by far the easiest to piss of. Stealth was most certainly not their style, no, those two would just rush in without a plan and everything would go to hell.

Hinata on the other hand, hadn't so much as _squeaked_since entering Sunagakure. Briefly, he spared a glance to the meek Hyuuga. She hadn't spoken a word this entire time, and now, she kept stealing glances at Naruto's back, only to look away moments later.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember?" Jiraiya turned his attention to the west, observing Temari playfully ribbing his student in the side with an elbow and a warm smile. "You're practically a hero here after you saved Gaara."

"Hehe, well, yeah...you know. I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?"

"That's Naruto for you." Jiraiya sighed and rubbed at his head with a hand as Naruto basked in the warmth of admiration. "Always humble."

--

He knew immediately, upon exiting the shower.

Someone else was already here. It wasn't pervy sage, he'd gone to talk with Gaara about something, and refused to let Naruto tag along, even though it was obviously about the both of them.

"Something wrong, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto stiffened in surprise, a cold sweat breaking out across his face. He wasn't wearing a shirt, he'd just gotten out of the shower, and considering that he had this room all to himself, hadn't particularly felt the need to wear an extra article of clothing in this stiflingly hot room.

The ribbons were hot enough, and for some reason, Naruto found that he couldn't remove either of them, and trying to do so would only leave his hands sore and numb. So, he'd simply elected to sleep barechested for tonight. After all, where was the harm in that?

Now, Naruto was beginning to regret not thinking it through.

The last thing he had expected, was to see Benihime. If she was surprised by the fact that he was shirtless, then she did very little to hide it. No, instead a coy smile flickered across her lips. With that smile, he almost didn't recognize her for a moment, but the faint hint of amusement was gone as quickly as it had come.

Benihime, being who she was, sauntered towards him making a motion with her hips as if she were twirling around every few steps. Every step seemed to hold practiced elegance, as if she had been this way her entire life,

"Come." She seized at his hand, earning a stupified stare. "I want to show you something." When he made no effort to move, irritation filled her eyes, suggesting that she was very much unused to anyone disobeying her. "Don't just stand there like a useless twit! Come with me, now!"

"But my-

"Here." He spluttered in surprise as she tossed him the garment, only to find himself rudely dragged out the door and into the hall. "You can put in on as we run, but we're leaving, _now."_

"Run?" Naruto blinked, running a hand through his still dampened mop of hair. "Run where-

--

(Sunagakure, rooftops)

Now, the village hidden in the sand was utterly silent. After all, it was two A.M. in the morning, and thusly, the temperature was quite frigid, well beyond what any normal human being would want to be awake and out in.

Let alone leaping across rooftops at a breakneck pace.

Such was the case for our favorite jinchuuriki, as he cleared a particularly dangerous jump, and nearly entangled himself in a woman's clothesline for his determined efforts, stumbling, fumbling, but regaining his balance just in time to clear another potentially fatal leap.

"This is crazy!" Naruto hollered into the wind as he landed from the rooftop only to lunge for another rooftop, guided only by the full moonlight and the bright red sheen of Benihime's crimson hair. "Just where are we going anyway?! Is it far from here or what? Hey!"

She didn't answer, instead, the red princess only took one last leap, the likes of which carried her soaring into the distance. When Naruto finally caught up to her, he found that she was actually waiting for him, and the air had gotten much warmer.

"Look." Benihime pointed down.

"What..." He saw someone down there, seemingly dancing on the water. Peering closer, and risking being caught in the act, Naruto felt his eyes go wide in surprise. He'd seen this before! He;d seen this years ago! That girl, dancing on the water! It was... this was...

"NANI?!"

--

The next morning, team Jiraiyam freshly supplied and with a new map, bid Sunagakure farewell.

Let's see, how's the Land of Earth sound?" Kiba jabbed his finger at a symbol north and west of their current position. Hinata peeked over his shoulder, and immediately paled. "Um...Kiba-kun, I don't th-think that's such a good idea....

"You mean Iwa?" Jiraiya shook his head adamantly seconds later. "Absolutely not. If we do have to go to Iwa, I suggest we save it for last, even if it _is_ the closest stop right now."

"Eh?" Naruto whined, "Why the hell not? Iwa's not even a days walk from here!"

WHAM!

"Itei!" He yelped, rubbing the rising welt in his head where Benihime had smashed him with her fan. "What was that for?!"

"Imbecile." Her voice was filled with scorn and disdain. "In case you've _forgotten_, or if you're weren't _listening_ in history class, your village was at _war _with Iwagakure quite some time ago, a war in which your village won. If we were to cross their borders now, even for the sake of a mission, we'd be labeled as enemies, ruthlessly hunted down, then killed on the spot, should they choose to capture, rather than torture us."

"Alright, we'll go to Kumo." Jiraiya declared sternly, raising his voice when Naruto began to protest once again. "I know it's a long ways from here, but right now, we're in the Raikage's good graces. So we'll make use of this opportunity while we still can."

"But we don't even know where to go!" Naruto protested angrily. "I don't wanna get lost again!"

"We won't." Jiraiya replied, matter of factly, his gaze swiveling to Benihime. "After all, it'll be much easier from here on out."

"Nani?" The three chunin asked as one.

"Yes." For a moment, she stared at Hinata, then closed her eyes, sat down, and folded her legs across one another. "I should be able to find at least one of them." Naruto and Kiba, though with great difficulty, managed to keep from looking at the sight before them, much to Hinata's relief.

"Oi...pervy sage."

"Mmm?" Jiraiya was, as usual, scribbling down notes for the next Icha Icha novel. Not that he could blame him. Naruto _barely_ resisted the urge to glance back towards the curvaceous beauty meditating before them, before speaking again.

"Back there, what was that about? Why did I suddenly lose it when I tried to-

The infamous sanin frowned, and took his sweet time in putting his pen and notebook away. Naruto had no idea then, and he certainly didn't know it now. Minato's seal was weakening. It had begun when he'd first reached the fourth tail, and in doing so, nearly taken his life.

That little burst of sage chakra back at the hotel certainly hadn't helped things any. Instead of taking in natural energy, Naruto had shot right up to three tails, and thusly, nearly gone berserk with the rush. The Kyuubi wanted to be free, and it certainly didn't care if its attempts to do so killed its host.

Still, Jiraiya silently thanked and cursed kami for this mission. That feeling of dread in his gut had only gotten worse after the kid had come back with Sakura and Sai, the trio having failed to retrieve Sasuke. Akatsuki was on the move. They'd come for the Kyuubi last, but all that really remained for them to obtain were the Nibi and the Hachibi. Walking into Kumo was just asking the Akatsuki to take a shot at Naruto. The temptation of three jinchuuriki in one place might be too tempting for them to resist, but at the same time, it _might_ be enough to give them pause.

Indeed, this was his only chance to give Naruto _that _training. And the kid would be a damn natural at it, if the Kyuubi didn't keep popping up every five seconds, and the interruptions stopped.

"I'll tell you later."

Benihime's hazel eyes snapped open suddenly.

"East." She declared solemnly, swiftly rising to her feet. "As Jiraiya said, we're heading to Kumo-

"Hold it."

No sooner had Kiba spoken, then they all heard the sound. The sharp crack of a twig, indicating someone had stepped on it. Moments later, two men burst from the dense foliage and took off towards them. Hinata fell back, more out of fear and surprise, than knowing that their armor needed to be shattered before her Jyuuken could be effective.

Naruto, then made the mistake of glancing towards Hinata. Immediately, he felt his face flush. He just couldn't look at Hinata straight without recalling that he'd actually seen her _naked_ on that night, all those years ago. And after putting two and two together last night, AND realizing she hadn't had anything on again...

"Na-Naruto-kun!"

He nearly lost his head for his distraction.

"Whoa!"

Backpedaling rapidly, Naruto brought his right hand out, reaching into his pouch for a kunai. He had little to no experience when it came to swordplay, but there was no way he could take a sword barehanded and keep his arm. That kinda crap only happened in fairy tales.

But no sooner had his fingers closed around the knife then it exploded in his grip,the metal fragments all but shredding into his palm, which in turn, triggered the ribbons, engulfing his hand in their protective crimson aura. Thusly, instead of losing a few fingers, he experienced only a pinprick of pain.

"Huh?" Naruto was just as surprised by this, but he didn't have time to wonder just why the knife had fallen apart in his hand; instead, he was forced to duck the enemy's blade losing a few strands of blond hair in the process of doing so.

"Bout damn time we saw some action." Kiba snarled, clasping his hands together, his attention now focused on the more bulky of the two men, who seemed to be content just watching the fight. "Here we go, Akamaru! Jūjin Bunshin! (Man Beast Clone) "

With a poof of smoke, another Kiba appeared. In actuallity, it was Akamaru transformed into Kiba, but the two men were obviously foreign to the world of jutsu, for one of them took a small step back in surprise as Kiba placed his hands into another seal.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu! (Ninja art of Beast Mimicry)"

Dropping to all fours, Kiba grunted in surprise as he felt Akamaru spring onto his back. Silently, he made a note to get some more exercise, both for himself and his partner. Akamaru hadn't been anywhere near as heavy when they'd done this two months ago. The weight was slight, barely noticeable, but they couldn't afford it.

It'd been awhile since they'd used this particular technique, considering the lack of action they'd seen, and therefore, it cost him about two seconds before he could get into position.

And in those two seconds, the attackers' waited.

"And now....

"Gatsuga!"

The foremost man, a bulky, mucular fellow whirled around suddenly, just as the duo's spin reached him, leaving him just enough time to slam his palms together, creating a bluish white glow with the effort. From nowhere, a giant pair of fists tethered down by two long chains winding around the brute's arms, materialized, then cocked back as the man raised his arms in vague mimicry of the motion.

_'Shit!'_

Unable to slow their rotation, the Inuzuka and his canine companion were given no time. No time to react, no time to brace themselves, no time to do anything at all as one massive fist after another slammed into their technique head on, disrupting it, violently jarring them apart from one another, before slamming the pair into the soil with a sickening crunch.

"Kiba!" Naruto cried, stealing a gaze at the crumpled from of his friend, only for his enemy's sword to fill his vision. He barely had enough time to cry out in dismay, before instinctively raising his hand to block, expecting the agonizing stab of pain through his arms.

Clink.

Imagine his surprise, when a thin, rectangular shield of red light whisked itself into existence, right at his fingertips. It hung there for a moment, stubbornly refusing to let the blade get through, then...

"Shred." Benihime, who'd silently remained on the sidelines until now, finally spoke, her lips quirking up into a cruel sneer as they uttered the command. No sooner had she spoken, then the shield curved itself inward, creating a sharper shape than before. Peppered by the energy bolts, the man retreated, but not before a decent chunk of his mask was ripped away, exposing the lower half of his face, now wearing a fierce scowl.

"Whoa." Naruto muttered, staring at his smoking palms. "How the hell

"Sakimidare. (Bloom Madly)" The man declared, pointing his blade forward.

"STOP AT ONCE!"

"Huh?" Naruto whirled around, and found himself looking down at a little blond girl who couldn't be more than ten years old. She wore a kimono that was several sizes too large for her, evident in the way she was holding it up, and her green eyes burned up at Naruto defiantly.

His attacker stopped, sheathed his blade, and took three steps backwards.

"Who...the hell're you?"

"We are Lurichiyo Kasumiōji." She replied, but the fire in her eyes did not dim in the slightest. "And we do not appreciate what you have done to our servants! We will not forgive you for this!"

_"We?"_Naruto plinked, peering behind her, to see who she meant. "Our? Hey, who's this 'we' you talking about? I don't see anybody else."

"Wait, wait." Jiraiya raised a hand and stepped forward, cutting his student off, an odd look in his eyes as he spoke. "You just said servants? What's a chibi like you doing with servants? Aren't you a little young to be playing princess?"

_"It is not our fault!" _Lurichiyo all but shrieked back. "We have not looked like this since we were little! We look like this now because we were cursed by a member of our clan! _That_ is why we do not have our sexy adult body! _That_ is why we do not look like a princess!"

"Eh?!" Everyone but Benihime tilted their heads in confusion, which of course, didn't help any. Even Jiraiya was dumbstruck by this sudden and unexpected announcement.

"KENRYU!" Lurichiyo stamped a foot angrily. "Tell these people who we are!"

"H-Hai, Lurichiyo-sama." The foremost Anbu replied, reaching up to the ceramic hawk mask that covered his face, a visage, which now turned towards the Konoha squad.

"My deepest apologies for attacking you, everyone." The remains of the mask came free with a quiet pop, and crumbled away in his hands, having sustained too much damage to survive the removal. "You see, we were under the impression that you were more of Kumoi's men."

Without the mask to hide his face, Kenryū was a simple, if not handsome looking man, his hair blue-black, his eyes a cold, icy blue. Much like Ulquiorra, he too wore a rusted headband, but unlike the pale man's, Kenryū's headband, worn proudly around his left arm, only bore rust at itsfour corners, and the insignia, a human skull, could be seen.

"My name is Ryūsei Kenzaki, but please, feel free to call me Kenryū. And as for this fellow....well, Enryū _is_ his name, but he can't exactly introduce himself properly. If you have any questions for him, I'll be happy to translate."

Enryū, the more muscular of the two, and now without his bull mask, bore a small mohawk in the shape of a lightning bolt across his head. Under his standard Anbu uniform he wore a light purple vest-like garment. He also wore large sunglasses, which seemed strangely out of place, considering that he had been wearing a _mask_ over his face only a few moments ago.

But Enryū didn't speak, he just nodded curtly and made a series of rapid hand gestures, much to the ire of a certain Inuzuka.

More than slightly put off by this, _and_still sore from the thrashing he'd been dealt, Kiba scowled from where he lay on the ground. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, he was laying there like a corpse, and for what? Now this guy was flipping him off?

"Oi, what's with him? Is he making fun of us or something?"

"Enryū... doesn't speak." Kenryū answered for his partner, eager to change the subject. "Now, if you lot aren't working for Kumoi, then might I ask you a favor?"

"Piss off." Kiba snarled, groaning as he tried to get up, failed, and tried again. "You've got some nerve to be asking us favors, considering what you just did! Go find somebody else!"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cried in dismay.

"Well...you saw what they did, Hinata!"

"Still...

"Sure!" Naruto's abrupt declaration rendered everyone speechless. "We'll be happy to help you guys out!"

"EH?!"

**_Next time: Searching for a way to break the curse, and Naruto's frustration! Lurichiyo's the next princess?!_**


	5. Shadow

**_Sorry if the updates for my stories are so few and far between. My new job has me working my ass off, so I'll update when I can, or at least, when time allows, should I be able to get that new labtop I'm pining for. Anyways, enough of my babbling, enjoy the story peoplz!_**

**_R&R!_**

**_Searching for a way to break the curse, and Naruto's frustration! Lurichiyo's the next princess?!_**

"STOP AT ONCE!"

"Huh?" Naruto whirled around, and found himself looking down at a little blond girl who couldn't be more than ten years old. She wore a kimono that was several sizes too large for her, evident in the way she was holding it up, and her green eyes burned up at Naruto defiantly.

His attacker stopped, sheathed his blade, and took three steps backwards.

"Who...the hell're you?"

"We are Lurichiyo Kasumiōji." She replied, but the fire in her eyes did not dim in the slightest. "And we do not appreciate what you have done to our servants! We will not forgive you for this!"

_"We?"_Naruto plinked, peering behind her, to see who she meant. "Our? Hey, who's this 'we' you talking about? I don't see anybody else."

"Wait, wait." Jiraiya raised a hand and stepped forward, cutting his student off, an odd look in his eyes as he spoke. "You just said servants? What's a chibi like you doing with servants? Aren't you a little young to be playing princess?"

_"It is not our fault!" _Lurichiyo all but shrieked back. "We have not looked like this since we were little! We look like this now because we were cursed by a member of our clan! _That_ is why we do not have our sexy adult body! _That_ is why we do not look like a princess!"

"Eh?!" Everyone but Benihime tilted their heads in confusion, which of course, didn't help any. Even Jiraiya was dumbstruck by this sudden and unexpected announcement.

"KENRYU!" Lurichiyo stamped a foot angrily. "Tell these people who we are!"

"H-Hai, Lurichiyo-sama." The foremost Anbu replied, reaching up to the ceramic hawk mask that covered his face, a visage, which now turned towards the Konoha squad.

"My deepest apologies for attacking you, everyone." The remains of the mask came free with a quiet pop, and crumbled away in his hands, having sustained too much damage to survive the removal. "You see, we were under the impression that you were more of Kumoi's men."

Without the mask to hide his face, Kenryū was a simple, if not handsome looking man, his hair blue-black, his eyes a cold, icy blue. Much like Ulquiorra, he too wore a rusted headband, but unlike the pale man's, Kenryū's headband, worn proudly around his left arm, only bore rust at itsfour corners, and the insignia, a human skull, could be seen.

"My name is Ryūsei Kenzaki, but please, feel free to call me Kenryū. And as for this fellow....well, Enryū _is_ his name, but he can't exactly introduce himself properly. If you have any questions for him, I'll be happy to translate."

Enryū, the more muscular of the two, and now without his bull mask, bore a small mohawk in the shape of a lightning bolt across his head. Under his standard Anbu uniform he wore a light purple vest-like garment. He also wore large sunglasses, which seemed strangely out of place, considering that he had been wearing a _mask_ over his face only a few moments ago.

But Enryū didn't speak, he just nodded curtly and made a series of rapid hand gestures, much to the ire of a certain Inuzuka.

More than slightly put off by this, _and _still sore from the thrashing he'd been dealt, Kiba scowled from where he lay on the ground. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, he was laying there like a corpse, and for what? Now this guy was flipping him off?

"Oi, what's with him? Is he making fun of us or something?"

"Enryū... doesn't speak." Kenryū answered for his partner, eager to change the subject. "Now, if you lot aren't working for Kumoi, then might I ask you a favor?"

"Piss off." Kiba snarled, groaning as he tried to get up, failed, and tried again, exacerbating the situation further. "You've got some nerve to be asking us favors, considering what you just did! Go find somebody else!"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata cried in dismay.

"Well...you saw what they did, Hinata!"

"Still...

"Sure!" Naruto's abrupt declaration rendered everyone speechless. "We'll be happy to help you guys out!"

"EH?!" Only Benihime managed to maintain her silence amidst the chaos that ensued. First, there was Kenryu and Enryu, falling to their knees in gratitude, then Kiba's and Jiraiya's indignant sqwuak of disbelief, punctuated for all it was worth by Hinata's startled gasp.

Throughout all this Lurichiyo remained calm.

"You have our greatest thanks."

Enryu and Kenryu's vigorous nod confirmed that they too, felt the same.

"Naruto, if you wish to help us, then we have a task for you!"

"Eh?"

"We are thirsty! Get us something to drink!"

The blonde's brow twitched slightly. By helping, he'd meant helping Lurichiyo track down who'd done this to her, not being a damn servant! As it was, he was suddenly tempted to take back what he'd just said, had not Ero-sennin chosen that moment to speak.

"You heard her." Jiraiya wore a faint smile. "Hop to it."

"WHAT?!"

"It's only a drink." Benihime replied, cooling herself with her fan. "I'm sure you can afford to be a gentleman just this once?"

"You...you should, Naruto-kun."

"REH?! You too, Hinata! Everybody's ganging up on me!"

"You should be grateful Lurichiyo-sama asked you to do something!" Added Kenryu.

"Nrgh....fine." Naruto grumbled, seeing that everyone was against him. Before he could finish, Lurichiyo jumped onto his back, and jabbed her finger to the east.

"There! There is a pond through those trees!"

Thankfully, the clearing wasn't too far from where their little scuffle had taken place. Lurichiyo, unsatisfied with Naruto's pace, hopped off his back and bolted across the remaining distance.

"Stay here! We do not want you watching us while we clean ourselves!"

With another grumble, Naruto took several steps back, then several more when Lurichyo ordered him to back out of sight.

Sighing, she cupped her hands.

"Honestly, we think men can be so bothersome...

But as she knelt down before the pond to drink, another Lurichiyo stared up at her. It was her, the _real_ Lurichiyo. This beautiful woman mirrored her exact movements, facial expressions, everything. The kimono her doppleganger wore, it fit her body snugly, exactly what could be expected of royalty. Lurichiyo couldn't help it then, a crystal tear rolled down her face, curving along her cheek, the black, obsidian droplet plinking into the ground at her feet. This, this was who she really was, trapped inside the body of a child.

Only seven days ago, that same face, covered in blood, had stared back at her from a shattered mirror. That dreadful morning, covered in her fiance's blood, Lurichiyo screamed, screamed for herself, screamed for Kenryu and Enryu, screamed for Shu Kannogi, or rather, what was left of his dismembered corpse, scattered about her quarters.

She remembered whirling around when the door opened, and then...

Waking up like this, gagged and bound. The room was darlky lit, by torches, she believed. The first person-, no the first _thing_ she saw, was Gyokaku Kumoi standing over her, his kindly smile replaced by a cruel sneer, all trace of humanity gone from his eyes.

"Good morning, Lurichiyo-sama. I trust you enjoyed your birthday?"

She screamed against the gag as her retainer unfurled a scroll and began to read it aloud, the purple chakra flowing from it and towards her. Then darkness again. She'd always loved the darkness. You could sneak up and scare someone, then laugh at the terrified sound of embarrasment they made. You could whisper soft words to your lover, and only they would hear you. The shadows would always hide your face, masking those hidden feelings she didn't want anyone else to see.

But this darkness, there was nothing comforting about it. It was different. It was cold, num, thick and blotchy, as if someone had draped a wet blanket across her very soul. It was punctuated only by the occasional sounds of metal grinding against metal, and Kumoi screaming obscenities. She recalled hearing only three coherent words in the chaos:

"Bankai no jutsu!"

And then, just as quickly as the darkness had come, so did the light. She gasped aloud as the gag was removed, then winced as the ropes followed suit. She must've been blindfolded at some point, for her eyes scrunched shut against the harsh sunlight. Kenryu's face, followed by Enryu's blotted the light out for a moment, filling her with relief.

"Hime-sama! Can you walk?"

"Um...I...

She couldn't think, she could barely even breathe. Instead, she retched, emptying her stomach of breakfast. After a moment, she tried to speak again, but only found a different voice, higher in pitch, speaking for her.

"My...my voice? What has happened to my voice-

"I'll carry you then!" Kenryu interrupted, scooping her up even before he had finished speaking. "We haven't the time to explain, nor can we afford to linger!"

At the time, she wondered how Kenryu could carry her so easily. It was not until nightfall, after Kenryu and Enryu could run no further, that she realized the horrible truth. She'd been cursed, trapped in this form of years past. Kumoi had wrested away leadership of her clan in the wake of her 'abscence' and Shu's death. Now, she and her bodyguards were forced to flee like cowards.

But Kumoi had not been content with this humiliation, had not been content with leadership of the Kasumioiji, and he simply couldn't afford to let her go. No, he'd sent assasin after assasin after them, and now, for the first time in a decade, Lurichiyo _feared_ the shadows. It was no longer a place of comfort and solace, but rather, one of dread. An enemy could leap out at any moment, a shuriken could fly out of the trees and strike her throat...

If not for Kenryu and Enryu...

Furious, at her fear, with Kumoi, with _herself_, Lurichiyo lashed out at her reflection, striking the surface of the water with intense force, dissolving the image into a thousand ripples. But the liquid pooled itself together again, and she was still there, staring back at the younger version of herself

"No! No, no, no, NO!" She wailed, lashing out at it again and again, this child who she was not meant to be, this face that continued to reappear befor her. "We are not supposed to look like this! Why did this have to happen to us?!"

A loud thud gave them pause.

There, at their feet, were a pair of kunai, stuck in the mud up to their rings. The assasins' froze, their combined gaze darting across the clearing, searching for any signs of movement, and unable to find any, one uttered a curse.

Another kunai suddenly whistled past the right cheek of the foremost assassin, splitting open a thin slit in his face. Now, it was clear that they were under attack. A hail of the shinobi knives forced the pair to retreat, deflecting the sharp darts as they backpedalled.

"Yo," Naruto snarled as he stalked out of the trees, his normally blue eyes tinted a crimson red with anger. Lurichiyo also noted that the whisker marks had grown a bit, further adding to his suddenly feral appearance. "What's the deal with you bastards, ganging up on a little kid-

"We are not a little kid!"

His cool entrance ruined, Naruto scowled at the blond hime.

"Urusai! You look like one, so deal with it while I deal with these two!"

"LOOK OUT!"

Naruto blinked in slow surprise as the then kunai he had just thrown, now shot into his right calve, embedding themselves into his leg with a wet squelch. Lurichiyo covered her face to stifle a gasp, but what she saw next, well, it just took her breath away.

Scowling, Naruto reached to the first dagger and removed it with an excessively forceful tug. Then another, and another, until each knife was freed from his flesh. No sooner had the last offending kunai been removed, then the wound, the skin that could be seen through the torn fabric, rippedoff at the knee, healed itself shut. All that remained, was smooth, flawless skin, and the massive tear the knives had left.

Naruto stared down at the remains of his pant leg, and to everyone's surprise, _growled_.

"OI! You ruined my outfit! For that, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"

Not wasting any time, the two men rushed the chunin, who smirked, exposing unusually sharp fangs.

Crossing his hands in a familair seal, Naruto uttered the words:

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!(Mass shadow replication)"

With a distinctive poof, exactly one hundred clones appeared. Each of them bore the same Kyuubified appearance, and each of them, turned their wrathful glare upon the now paling assasins'. One tried to slow his rapid advance, the other, still charged ahead, but it was too late.

"ALright!" Each of the dopplegangers, and the original declared resolutely. "Here we come!"

**_Next time: Understanding a pompous princess! Naruto's irritation!_**


	6. Disbelief and Irritation Prelude

**_Sorry if the updates for my stories are so few and far between. My new job has me working my ass off, so I'll update when I can, or at least, when time allows, should I be able to get that new labtop I'm pining for. Anyways, enough of my babbling, enjoy the story peoplz!_**

**_R&R!_**

**_Understanding! Naruto's disbelief and irritation!_**

When all was said and done, the two assassins were either dead, or on the verge of it, their faces little more than one big bruise. With a loud poof, the clones, vanished into a plume of smoke, leaving a slightly out of breath Naruto and a speechless Lurichiyo alone in the clearing.

"You're a jinchuuriki, aren't you?"

Naruto stiffened, eyes widening to the point of extrication, then narrowing dangerously as he stepped towards her. His appearance still hadn't changed, and for a moment, just a moment, Lurichiyo was afraid that he might go after _her_ next.

His fierce gaze found her, and for _another_moment, Lurichiyo couldn't breathe. It was as if she were staring kami in the face, and anything she could've said, would've said, was already rendered meaningless.

But then Naruto sighed, and clenched his claws into a fist. When he opened his eyes, they were sapphire again. The claws, fangs, and everything else were gone, leaving him an ordinary chunin once more.

"Yeah." He sighed, sapphire eyes filled with a lifetime of hurt and sorrow. "I am."

Lurichiyo said nothing.

"We understand."

"H-Huh?" Naruto jerked his head head towards her.

Several things happened at once.

Lurichiyo took a small, hesitant step towards him.

"We-

And at the same time, one the supposedly 'unconcious' attackers, twiwtched, his fingers curling about the hilt of his katana. Naruto had less than a second to blink, then throw himself over Lurichiyo, then the blade plunged through his stomach, its steely grey tip erupting out of his gut in an explosion.

Blood flecked his lips and her cheek.

"NO!" Lurichiyo's shriek filled the air, and Naruto watched in awe as the her own shadow leapt upon the attacker, constricting about this throat like an invisible noose. The assasin had less than a second to gurgle in surprise, then the shadow viper broke his neck with a loud, audible pop.

Before his comrade could try to flee, her shadow _struck_, coiling around his arms and legs with such force, that the bones snapped like dry, brittle timber. Bound and cowed by the specter, the assassin crumpled to the ground, cowering in fear as the princess stood over him.

"We are Lurichiyo Kasumioji." She intoned with authority, glaring daggers at the remaining assasin, who shifted his head deeper into his chest as a sign of fear and respect. "You _will _tell us why Gyokkaku Kumoi wants us dead, and you will do so now, _before_ we break you in half!"

The man gave a keening wail.

"U-Understood!"

"H-He listened?" Naruto gaped.

"Of course he did." Lurichiyo smirked and made a show of flicking her hair to one side. "We are his princess, and we have just reminded him of this. He will do whatever we say. Now" Lurichiyo glared at the trembling man. "We demand that you fetch Naruto new clothes to replace the one's you have ruined!"

_**zzzz**_

**_(Meanwhile)_**

A loud crash revealed that everyone's suspicions about Naruto's location had been correct, and the litany of swearwords confirmed that Naruto was none too happy about whatever was going on behind the cover of the the trees. The reason for this soon became apparent, as everyone turned to see Naruto emerging from the clearing with a smug Lurichiyo sitting upon his left shoulder.

Jiraiya felt a sly smirk creeping across his face.

"Well well, what do we have here?"

Naruto now sported a black turtleneck and black pants with bandage bindings around his ankles. However, accenting it was strips of a dark red-orange running down the sides of his sleeves, his shirt, and his pants. And completing the setup were the ribbons of course, and the chunin vest. Without realising it, Naruto had actually dressed in a style similar to that of the Uzumaki clan, save for the fact that it was red, instead of orange. Added with the fact of his physical features, he was becoming more and more like his father.

But before anyone could hope to comment on Naruto's new getup, a new voice beat them to it.

"My my, isn't this a sight?"

"So," Jiraiya didn't so much as glance toward the tree from which the voice had come. "You were the one following us, hmm?"

He was a lean man, muscular under the black kimono. His chestnut brown eyes narrowed slightly at Jiraiya's approach, only to soften as he noticed Lurichiyo bringing up the rear. Quietly, he thumbed at hilts of the two swords he kept belted at his hip. He summarily ignored Jiraiya.

"Well well, its been awhile, hasn't it, Lurichi?"

Lurichiyo looked, _looked again,_ and nearly choked on her own spit.

"Y-You?" She sputtered incredulously, jabbing a finger towards the man, who gave a bow in reply, nearly losing his strawhat in the process of doing so. "Where were you? We did not know where you went?"

"Eh?" Naruto squinted his eyes, much like a fox. "Who is this guy?"

Spitting out the toothpick, the ex-death nin rewarded Naruto with a sly grin, bordering on arrogance. He radiated confidence, charisma, and raw power with his very being. With a lazy hop, if such a thing could be called lazy, the man drifted from his perch on the branch, to the ground.

Despite himself, Naruto took a small step back when the stranger landed less than a foot from him.

"You're a lot like you're uncle, aintcha, gaki? You're always squinting your eyes."

Naruto felt the blood leave his face.

"U-Uncle? You mean I have f-family?"

"And you are?" Benihime regarded the stranger coolly.

"Course ya do." The man glanced at the crimson godess for a moment, flashed a charming smile, and pulled back his cloak to reveal a worn, chiseled face. "In fact, I hear he's in Kumogakure right now. What say we got and meet him together, my darling?"

Benihime arched an eyebrow.

"And why, would I deign to go anywhere with you, _shinigami?"_

At the mention of that term, Jiraiya frowned.

"Hold it." His now unusually stern voice cut into the conversation, earning an irritated whine from his protege in the process. "You still haven't answered _his _question, and I sure as hell hope that I just heard wrong. Who the devil are you?"

The missing nin shrugged, and brought his gaze back to bear on Naruto.

"Like she just said. Name's Shunsui Kyoraku, former _Shikage_, current missing nin. Nice ta meetcha, kid."

**_Hmm...what Bleach character always squints their eyes?_**

**_Next time: Blessings and Curses, Oh my!_**


End file.
